Pope Francis prays for the victims of war in Mosul, Iraq, March 7, 2021.

: Vatican Media.
Pope Francis prays for the victims of war in Mosul, Iraq, March 7, 2021.

In his prayer, the pope referred to the city’s Al-Nouri Mosque, where on June 29, 2014, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed a caliphate, known as the Islamic State, spanning Iraq and Syria.